Tom Lovell Studies

I've been making my way through my new (incredible) Tom Lovell book. I'm amazed at how simple he keeps his compositions. Everything seems to be kept within 4 simple tones: Black, dark grey, light grey, and white. So, I've been going through the book and every time I see a really stunning composition, I do a quick little marker study. Here's one:

Halloween Still Life

A little still life I did of some Halloween decorations. Painted in gouache in my watercolor sketchbook. I tried a random pre-painted background of acrylic red, Then black, white, yellow ochre and I think burnt sienna. I tried to only use warm colors and let the black and white fill in for the cooler colors. I remember looking at the purple fabric underneath everything and having no idea how I would paint it. Its a little red (burnt sienna) mixed with the black and white. I think it looks purple. I was very happy about that, it felt like magic.

Christmas Still Life

Still Lifes always seem a little like homework at first so you have to force yourself to do them. Then, when you get a little ways into it them they get really frustrating and you question why you even do art at all and you kind of just hate everything. After awhile it's a lot of fun, and once it's over you wish you did them more often.

Here's one I did the other night in gouache

Payless in Gouache

After watching Gouache in the Wild I was really excited to try out some gouache. I've mostly only mixed a little gouache with watercolor and never really done an entire painting in it. So this was my very small black and white attempt at that (it's like 3 x 5 in.). 

   I did this while waiting for my wife to get off work a few weeks ago, but she got out when I was about halfway through so I never finished it. That unfinished page in my sketchbook was getting really annoying so I went back last night and finished it.

And If you want to learn more about gouache...